The present invention relates to product cartons, and more particularly, to cartons that can be converted from a shippable form to a displayable form.
Finished products are typically packed into cartons and shipped to merchants for sale to the general public. The merchants thereafter unpack the finished products and stack them manually on display racks or store shelves in order for consumers to easily locate and pick out products. This process is time consuming and labor intensive. Certain carton designs have attempted to address this problem through the use of convertible designs that allow the merchant to display products in the cartons in which they were shipped.
Leftwich et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,872, discloses a storage/display container. The container has two removable sides and a removable top cover that enable a merchant to convert the container from a shipping container to a display container. The sides and top cover are removed from the container by the merchant and the products within the container are exposed with the two remaining sides and lips along the front and rear edges of the container defining the boundaries of the container. The front lip of the container can further be removed by the merchant to allow consumers to slide products out of the container if further containers are stacked on top.
Rosenbaum, U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,579, also discloses a storage/display container. The container includes a foldable portion comprised of the top of the container and a portion of the front of the container. A merchant utilizes the foldable portion of the container to create a fold up header at the rear of the container that displays advertising for the products within. After the fold up header is created the front of the container consists of a skirt that defines the front edge of the container and contains the products within.
These container designs allow merchants to display products within the cartons that the products were shipped in and can be placed by the merchant on the floor, countertop or shelves for consumers to view. However, placement of the cartons on a shelving unit creates problems in both designs and neither design allows a merchant to effectively choose between a floor/counter display and a shelf display. Specifically, in the case of the Leftwich et al. patent the container is placed on a shelf with the open side facing out. As a result, when the consumer views the container there is little or no surface space on the side of the container nearest the consumer to identify the products within. This problem may be magnified in regard to flat products or in situations where the products are pushed into the back of the container where the consumer cannot easily view the products within to identify them.
The Rosenbaum container can also be somewhat problematic for consumers and merchants. The container cannot easily fit in the opening between closely spaced shelves because of the fold up header created when the merchant converts the container into the display form. Furthermore, where the shelf spacing is such that the carton will fit in such opening, the fold up header is disposed in back of the shelf where consumers are unable to see printed material on the header due to obstruction and/or a lack of light. Thus, the consumer encounters the same problem as with the Leftwich et al. container, whereby the consumer is left with little viewable container surface by which to identify the products within. Also, the skirt prevents consumers from easily reaching into the bottom of the container to retrieve flat products and interferes with the ability of the merchant to readily ascertain the number of products remaining in the carton.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a carton blank includes first and second spaced main panels and first and second side flaps abutting first and second side edges, respectively, of the first main panel. The carton blank further includes third and fourth side flaps abutting first and second side edges, respectively, of the second main panel and an intermediate panel disposed between first ends of the first and second spaced main panels. Also provided is a cover flap abutting a second end of the second main panel and a display flap having first and second portions adjacent to one another wherein the first portion is joined to a second end of the first main panel by a score line and the second portion is joined to the second end of the first main panel by a perforated line collinear with the score line.
A further aspect of the present invention comprehends a carton including top and bottom spaced main panels and first and second side flaps abutting first and second side edges, respectively, of the bottom main panel. The carton further includes third and fourth side flaps abutting first and second side edges, respectively, of the top main panel and secured to the first and second side flaps, respectively and an intermediate panel integral with first ends of the top and bottom spaced main panels. A display flap is also provided having first and second portions adjacent to one another wherein the first portion is joined to a second end of the bottom main panel by a score line and the second portion is joined to the second end of the bottom main panel by a perforated line collinear with the score line. A cover flap is joined to a second end of the top main panel and is secured to the display flap.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description.